Death, No Reason To Forget Love
by ILuvMyMiroku
Summary: Whenever Kagome passes away, Ms. Higurashi is only left with Souta. When Inuyasha comes from the present to check up on Kagome, what happens?COMPLETED!
1. The Death of Kagome

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! I only own the story! But wouldn't it be good if I did own the show? Or the manga? Hmm… Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This kinda took me a long time to write. But besides my meaningless rambling, Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Death, No Reason To Forget Love

****

Chapter One: The Death of Kagome

"Kagome…" Kagome's mother whispered to her daughter who was lying motionless in the hospital bed, gently shaking her arm, trying to awake Kagome from her unconscious state. "Kagome!" she said a little more loudly, looking over to the IV then to the heart monitor, watching the numbers, along with jolts on the heart meter, lower.

"Mom, is Kagome getting any better?" Souta asked, the door to the room creaking open as he slowly shut the door behind him, letting it click before he turned, Mother smiling as she saw that clutched in Souta's hands were a small bouquet of flowers.

Mother only shook her head, bringing her damp blue handkerchief up to her eyes, lightly dabbing them as Souta walked over to his mother, placing the flowers down at the foot of Kagome's bed.

After what sounded like either a moan or a not understandable mumble from Kagome, her mom reached down to the foot of the bed and grabbed the flowers and wrapped her daughters hands around them, making it so that Kagome was holding the plastic wrap where the stems were, her strength slowly lessening. "Mom…" Kagome's voice was soft, sounding like she was having pain with every breath she took, every word she spoke. "Tell Inuyasha… I loved him… I'm… Sorry." she said, her eyes slowly falling shut.

Kagome's mom could only nod in a response, tears rolling down her face. She knew that her daughter had loved Inuyasha, and she was just happy that Kagome had finally told her.

The heart monitor continued to slowly beep, a few moments later turning into a single beep, alone with a simple straight line. The beautiful flowers in Kagome's hands… Simply wasted as her fingers went limp, the bouquet falling to the floor. However, there were just two flowers left in her hand, two roses. A red rose and a white rose. On his mothers instruction, Souta ran out of the room to go get the nurse as Kagome's mom sat as still as she could, grasping her daughters free hand and squeezing although she knew she would not be getting a squeeze back.

"Oh, dear!" the nurse shouted as she ran in, quickly checking Kagome's pulse with her two fingers, then putting her ear down to Kagome's chest, failing to get a heartbeat. "I'm… I'm sorry, Ms. Higurashi." the nurse said, bowing to Kagome's mother who had finally moved, now standing and having her back turned to the bed, sobbing lightly as she looked out into the window. 

Although they were on a high level floor in the hospital, on the ground below she could see the green and white colors of the middle school uniform for the girls, along with the noticeable red bow. But the outfits she saw… Were worn by Kagome's three best friends who were walking down the street laughing, Yuka, Ayumi and Eri, along with her other friend Hojo wearing his black school outfit. 

'Poor things,' she thought to herself. _'They're Kagome's best friends… Always worried about her… But now she's in the hospital, for real this time, and sadly, she won't be coming out alive…' _Ms. Higurashi then started to cry harder once again, excusing herself before walking out of the room, Souta following her out.

"Mom, are you going to be alright?" Souta asked, pulling on her sleeve.

"Yes, Souta. I'll be fine…" Ms. Higurashi tried to say, forcing a smile on her face although Souta could tell she was feeling horrible inside. Souta then hugged his mother, tears running down his own face as their embrace ended. "First Granpa, then Kagome…"

The door then creaked open again, the nurse sticking her head out. "Excuse me, but… Would it be okay if you guys leave? We still need to do some things," she said, stepping out of the room with the two roses in her hand, reaching out her arm to give them to Kagome's mother.

She took the flowers, hesitating at first as she hugged them to her chest, shaking her head as she gave back the white rose, keeping the red rose for herself. "No, this rose… Keep it with Kagome." the nurse then nodded, walking back into the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Let's go home, Souta."


	2. The Next Morning

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! I only own the story! But wouldn't it be good if I did own the show? Or the manga? Hmm… Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This kinda took me a long time to write. But besides my meaningless rambling, Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Death, No Reason To Forget Love

****

Chapter Two: The Next Morning

Please note: Yes, I made Kagome 17 years old in this story, because I have some things in here that'd only make sense after time passed. And since I made Kagome two years older, I made all the other characters two years older also! And, I do like Kagome, but not that much anymore… No clue why.

The next morning…

Ms. Higurashi sniffled, dipping a teabag into her cup of hot water as she heard the TV from the living room, which was showing the morning news. She stared at a picture of Kagome that was hanging on the refrigerator for a while, then looking away as she heard something that caught her attention.

"Now in other news, a young 17-year-old local girl, Kagome Higurashi, passed away last night." The reporter started. As Ms. Higurashi moved into the living room, she saw that the TV was doing live coverage on her daughter's death, reporting from outside the hospitals main entrance. "It was at this hospital here last night the girl died. She was a Shikon High School student who rarely showed up for class, although sources say she was thrilled whenever she passed her high school exams and was planning to take her college exams next spring. However, her death was a mystery. According to the doctors here at this hospital, it seems that young Higurashi was rushed into the hospital already unconscious. She had been covered in blood and seemed to have strange bite marks embedded in her skin all over her body. Surviving are her mother, Ms. Nea Higurashi, 42, and a younger brother, Souta Higurashi, 11. Her father had died soon after Kagome had been born in a car crash, and the death of her elderly grandfather was last month by going into cardiac arrest. But since her mother was at work and brother at school when Kagome was rushed into the hospital because of an emergency phone call, they are proclaimed 'innocent' for the markings on her body. Other sources say that a young man had called into 911, sounding nervous and not really knowing what he was doing or saying. But although these questions will remain unanswered, all we can do is just guess on this case for now. Until next time, this is Kiko Takayama, reporting from Tokyo."

Nea nodded her head, remembering that after she came home that first night from the hospital, (A/N: Kagome was in the hospital for about a week) she had checked the security cameras placed in random places around the shrine to try and see the real reason Kagome had been injured, and saw many pictures of a worried Inuyasha hugging Kagome close to him as she held tightly onto his chest, crying in pain. It seemed like he refused to put Kagome down, even though her blood was seeping through her clothes and onto his outfit or falling to the ground. Other cameras showed Inuyasha lightly kissing Kagome or trying to calm her down, then another where he was on the phone looking nervous, his hand interlocked with Kagomes, their fingers laced. And other ones showed Inuyasha wiping the blood off the floor with some paper towels as Kagome laid off to the side. Although there was no audio to the clips, Nea could tell exactly what was going on at the time, and it made her smile.

Inuyasha had returned the next day after the incident, explaining to her that their worst enemy, Naraku, whom Nea and Souta had heard a lot about from whenever Kagome returned home, had snuck up on them while they were all resting and attacked. He also stated that it had wounded Shippo, Miroku and Sango but not as badly, that they would heal within a matter of days.

Yawning, Souta slowly walked down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "G'morning" he lightly said, walking into the living room and made a straight movement to the table in the kitchen, plopping down on a seat, not taking the time to look at the TV.

"Good morning, dear. They just showed some footage about your sister… They explained some things, but didn't cover a lot." Souta merely nodded, reaching for the middle of the table where a large stack of waffles had been piled, putting about seven of them on his plate. Nea then walked into the kitchen, sitting down beside her son as she took a small sip of her tea. "And although your sister just died last night, I'm sorry, but I still have to send you to school. You have missed too many days this year already, and I cannot afford to let you stay home again, I don't want to pay more fines."

About an hour later Souta was off to school. Nea had walked him out of the house and shrine and down the large front steps, waiting with him until the bus came. Whenever it did, Souta got aboard slowly as Nea watched him; many kids were staring at them with death glares, like if they suspected it was their fault Kagome had died or something, which their young minds probably did.

When getting back into the house, Nea fell backwards onto the living room couch, sighing heavily as she turned off the television. She had called for the day off, which was reasonable for any mother since she needed time to think. Looking out the living room window, she saw the small hut where the Bone-Eater's well was held inside. It had been about four days since Inuyasha had came out of it, she wondered if he would ever come back again. _"Tell Inuyasha… I loved him."_ Kagome's words found themselves playing over and over in Nea's head. Nea simply chuckled, smiling to herself. Although her daughter was dead, she couldn't be more happier knowing that her only daughter had found love with a person who would've loved her back, a person who would've done anything for her.

A couple hours later, Ms. Higurashi was still laying on the couch, now fast asleep as the only light in the room besides sunlight escaping from the sides of the window blinds were the commercials and programs playing on the television, flickering light all around the room.


	3. A Little Pep Talk

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! I only own the story! But wouldn't it be good if I did own the show? Or the manga? Hmm… Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This kinda took me a long time to write. But besides my meaningless rambling, Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Death, No Reason To Forget Love

****

Chapter Three: A Little Pep Talk

"Are you sure she's okay, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as he looked at his best friend who was standing in front of him, arms crossed against his chest, trying to keep holding a strong face.

Inuyasha looked down at his red kimono, in which dark red bloodstains were still visible from the previous battle, he hadn't bothered to wash it. He put his hand on a bloodstain near his heart, shaking his head in uncertainty. "Personally, Miroku, I have no clue. And, as much as I want to, I'm actually afraid to go back to Kagome's era…"

"Why's that?" Sango asked gently, sitting on the edge of the well along with Kirara, watching the boys.

"Because… I think her mom is still mad at me for what happened, and I'm just afraid for the worse so I have to be prepared!"

"But why be afraid, Inuyasha?" Shippo perked up, jumping on Inuyasha's head. "I mean, you were never afraid before whenever you were killing people or demons yourself!" Shippo then screamed, unwanted bumps appearing all over his forehead. "Owww…!"

"Why would her mother be mad at you?" Sango asked, looking down into the well.

"Because, it was my fault… I guess we just weren't strong enough to battle Naraku on our own, and I was too much engaged in the battle to even think about Kagome at the time. Usually I give her my fire rat kimono to wear for protection, but… I just, well, I just had my mind set on winning. But we failed…" Inuyasha practically choked, trying not to cry as he turned his head down looking at the well himself, fists clenching as his hair covered his eyes. "And now Kagome's probably dead… And it's my fault if we never see her again!"

Miroku frowned as he looked over at Sango, who had the same expression on her face. "You really don't think Kagome could… die, could she? She just…" Sango lightly said, not wanting an answer as she stopped herself, shaking her head as tears started forming at the corners of her eyes, burning as they fell down her cheek. Sure, in the past the group would worry that someone had died, but this time it really felt like Kagome wouldn't be coming back, it felt like someone had just stuck a steak through Sango's heart like if she was a vampire.

"Until we know what happened, Inuyasha, we shouldn't worry... Right? Just go back and check on her, please! For all of our sakes!" Shippo screamed, tugging at Inuyasha's pants. But at the exact time Shippo was wincing, getting prepared with the thought that he was just going to get more bumps on his forehead, Inuyasha just simply chuckled to himself and slightly nodded his head, jumping in the well, not caring one bit that Shippo, Sango and Miroku were watching. All his mind was set on now was to see Kagome again. That part might be easy, but not the part thinking that he could possibly never see her again.


	4. Memories Of The Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! I only own the story! But wouldn't it be good if I did own the show? Or the manga? Hmm… Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This kinda took me a long time to write. But besides my meaningless rambling, Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Death, No Reason To Forget Love

****

Chapter Four: Memories of the Past

A couple seconds later, Inuyasha landed softly on the soil in the well in Kagome's era. He couldn't smell her sweet scent, however only smelled the scent of her blood. Grunting as he jumped out of the well, he quickly ran out of the hut and down the dirt road to Kagome's house. Jumping onto the roof, Inuyasha snuck into the window that led to Kagome's room.

"Kagome…" he lightly said to himself as he looked around the room, smiling at the familiar sights and the sweet smells. Although he had slept over a couple times but not that often, her house just seemed like another welcome home to him, in which it indeed was.

Through his eyes, everything he looked at was a memory. He saw the broken-glassed alarm clock on Kagome's bedside table, she still used it although it had been broken after Inuyasha panicked one of the times he went to see Kagome although she was already asleep. On her desk he saw not only Kagome's little glass bottle which contained some fragments of the jewel, but a picture frame with red and pink hearts surrounding the frame, holding a picture of Kagome stroking Inuyasha's ears, with his permission. The picture had been taken after Kagome had taught Sango how to use the camera. He still remembered that day, along with many others as he noticed that pictures of him and his friends were posted all over the wall. Inuyasha shook his head, chuckling. He looked like such a goon in that picture, his facial expression lose in pure pleasure. Picking up the picture frame, examining it closely as he carefully pulled the picture out, flipping to the back where Kagome had written, 'Such cute ears, eh? They're adorable! Another reason why I love my Inuyasha!'

Although he really couldn't read at all, Inuyasha could noticed his name and he smiled as he sat the picture down, reaching up to stroke his ears in remembrance.

Flashback

"Then you just point somewhere and…Click!" Kagome said cheerfully as she was instructing Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha and Shippo how to use a camera. "You just press the button!"

"Cool!" Shippo said, jumping and taking the camera away from Kagome, accidentally pointing the flash side of the camera towards him and hitting the button. He then screamed and fell to the ground, eyes watering.

"Shippo!" Sango said, rushing over to Shippo's aid along with Kirara, kneeling down beside him.

"This seems like an important item, but is that what happens when you disobey the rules? That bright flashing light blinds you?" Miroku asked, his voice with a hint of uncertainty.

"No! There are no rules! Look," Kagome then picked up the camera off the ground and handed it to Sango, pointing at the eyepiece. "Look through this glass thing here, then press the button once the orange light shows up saying your flash is ready."

Sango nodded as she looked over at Inuyasha, camera ready in hand. He seemed a bit confused, especially when Kagome ran behind him and started stroking his ears. Miroku had to laugh as Inuyasha's face became soft, feeling relaxed at her touch. Inuyasha looked up at Kagome who was smiling, so eventually he smiled too. "Press the button!" Kagome said, quickly hugging Inuyasha from behind after the light flashed and as the film inside the camera clicked, switching to the next frame.

End flashback

Inuyasha was now sitting on Kagome's bed, seeing the hat he used to wear whenever he would go out in public with Kagome, including the time he first 'met' Kagome's friends. Looking around more, he saw too many things he remembered. Just looking down at the pink covers of the bed made him blush, since it was the place Inuyasha and Kagome really had their real first kiss with one another… Nea had been at work that day, Souta at school, and Granpa had been out to visit another local shrine. They had let Kagome stay home and rest for a while after she came home from the Sengoku Jedai the previous night exhausted. She had woken up to see Inuyasha staring at her, and after freaking out, Kagome woke up and for the rest of the day Inuyasha and Kagome just talked… Their lips slowly making contact with one another just about an hour before Souta came home, but Inuyasha ended up staying that night since Souta had walked in afterwards and invited Inuyasha to stay for dinner, which they had ramen. Yum!

Figuring it was long enough, he looked at the broken alarm clock which read '2:30.' _'Hopefully Kagome must still be at that school she goes to,'_ he thought. But since he knew his way around the house pretty good, he exited Kagome's room and started walking down the hallway. He passed Souta's room, along with Nea's old room that had been turned into a study area. Since Granpa had died, Nea had moved her bedroom to the first floor where his room used to be, which was a wise decision sometimes whenever little kids would try and rob the shrines. Walking down the stairs, he saw Ms. Higurashi sound asleep and curled up on the living room couch. After exploring the rest of the house and finding it empty, he went back to the living room and sat on a couch across from the other couch that Nea was asleep on, carefully picking up the remote and fiddling with the buttons before he remembered how to change the channels.


	5. The Truth Is Out

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! I only own the story! But wouldn't it be good if I did own the show? Or the manga? Hmm… Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This kinda took me a long time to write. But besides my meaningless rambling, Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Death, No Reason To Forget Love

****

Chapter Five: The Truth Is Out

A couple minutes later, Inuyasha had found himself looking over at Ms. Higurashi from time to time, watching her as she slept, thinking in the back of his mind how she could sleep so peacefully. It wasn't long before her sleep was disturbed, suddenly jumping as the phone rang. Moaning lightly while wiping the sleep away from her eyes, she stood up with a yawn and made her way across the living room to the phone, still too tired to not notice Inuyasha.

"Hello, Higurashi residence," she answered, back turned towards the -still- unnoticed Inuyasha who had been eyeing her strangely. "Yes, I am aware that Kagome isn't in school today."

__

"She's not at school?" Inuyasha thought, accidentally asking it aloud, causing Nea to jump in surprise as she turned around, startled.

"Excuse me, but can we please speak about this matter later? I'm really sorry, but it seems like I need to turn off the hot water before a fire starts!" she said quickly as she slammed the phone down, her eyes widened as she stared at the phone for a little, eyes wide, wondering if she would get in trouble for the thing she had just done. Sighing, she turned around and then sat down next to Inuyasha on the couch he was on. "Inuyasha… Why are you here?" she asked.

Inuyasha looked around, worried that he could only smell the scent of Kagome's old blood and that she wasn't in school. What had happened to his Kagome? "I came to check up on Kagome, I'm really worried about her… How is… Where is she?"

"Oh," Ms. Higurashi said, looking down as she reached out and took Inuyasha's right hand, lightly smiling at the cute confused look he had on his face. "Inuyasha, dear. Kagome… S-She's not coming back." Nea said softly, glancing up into Inuyasha's amber eyes, which were full of pain and sadness, along with hurt and guilt. He looked down and yanked his hand away, turning his back to mumble to himself it was all his fault. "No, no! It wasn't your fault for Kagome's death!" she started, putting the same reassuring hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "And, just so you know, it is okay to cry once and a while, just get it all out…"

With those words, Inuyasha simply just stood up and almost literally ran out of the house. He knew something had happened to Kagome, but just her mother telling him that she had died… It was just too much for him, he couldn't believe it.

"Inuyasha!" Ms. Higurashi called out, almost chasing him. Thankfully he had stopped and looked back as she started walking towards him, picking up Kagome's red rose which had been in it's own little vase. "Here, take this rose… It's the last thing I get to remember Kagome by, but I think you should have it."

"T-Thank you?" he said, happy and confused at the same time as he took the rose from her, gripping the stem tightly, ignoring the fact that he was getting pricked by the thorns.

"And, if you could, I would like you to speak at Kagome's funeral if you will. It's in two days, but come back here tomorrow night, okay? You can have dinner here then get ready for the next-day funeral."

"Hai," he said slowly before turning his back to leave again, this time not looking back. As he thought he heard the front door of the Higurashi residence close behind him, he ran as fast as he could to the shed that held the well, quickly sliding the door open and shutting it behind him. He moved forward slightly, sitting down on the top of the wooden stairs. Looking down at the rose, he noticed his hand was bleeding, blood trailing along the creases in his palm. _'Darn…'_ he thought to himself, wiping the almost dry blood onto his pants. _'I didn't even notice I was pricked.'_ Examining the rose more clearly, he remembered what Ms. Higurashi had told him about it, being the last memory of her daughter. "Ka… Kagome," Inuyasha said lightly to himself, his heart hurting as he could hear her laughter in his head, her sweet voice calling out his name. Not able to hold it back anymore, Inuyasha broke down on the steps, tears seeming like they would never end as he cried, trying to keep quiet from any unwanted attention. It took him about twenty minutes to stop crying, for he kept on having flashbacks of the happy moments they had together, occasionally remembering her 'sit' commands, which served entertaining… sometimes. Taking a deep breath, he put the red rose in a pocket that had been sewn into the inside of his shirt for storage and jumped into the well.

Back at the doorframe of the house, Ms. Higurashi watched Inuyasha as she left, frowning as she could hear him crying from the distance between them. "Maybe I shouldn't have given him that rose…" she trailed off, beginning to get lost in thought until the phone rang again. She sighed, turning on her heel as she closed the door and walked to the living room. She got the cordless phone off the charger and plopped onto the couch as she turned it on, not bothering to look at the Caller ID. "Hello?" she asked politely. Sure enough, it was the school calling again. Ms. Higurashi sighed; it was time for her to explain some things…


	6. Losing A Friend

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! I only own the story! But wouldn't it be good if I did own the show? Or the manga? Hmm… Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This kinda took me a long time to write. But besides my meaningless rambling, Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Death, No Reason To Forget Love

****

Chapter Six: Losing A Friend

"What happened, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as he saw his friend come back out of the well. Everyone had been waiting patiently around the well since Inuyasha left, eager to hear the whereabouts of Kagome.

"How's Kagome?" Sango asked.

"Will she be returning soon? I drew something new for her as a 'get well soon' present!" Shippo exclaimed as he proudly held up a picture he drew in crayons, a little messy picture where a blob that looked like Shippo had been hugging a shape that was supposed to resemble Kagome.

"Nothing, bad, no." Inuyasha said as he answered everyone, his head hung as he tried his hardest not to cry again, putting a look on his face like if he was way too tough to cry, even if Ms. Higurashi's words about it being okay to cry kept on playing on in his mind.

This sent everyone worrying more, plastering Inuyasha with all kinds of different questions. Everyone crowded around Inuyasha, and for a second he thought he was going to be pushed into the well again.

"She died…" Inuyasha said softly, frowning along with everyone else as he heard surprised gasps. "Blood loss from those serious cuts and other injuries was the cause, I guess. And before you guys say anything else, I'm going back to her era tomorrow night, I have to attend her burying ceremony."

"C-Can we go?" Sango asked, small tears falling down her face as she was taking it the hardest because Kagome was not just her best friend, but she was her only female friend. Kagome was the only person Sango could really talk to.

"You know you guys can't go through the well," Inuyasha said, an apologetic look in his eyes as he finally looked up. "So that means that I'll be the only one with access between these two eras… But really if you think about it I'll have no need to go to Kagome's time anymore besides from her burying ceremony. But hey, it's starting to get dark. Let's head back to Kaede's village; I'm really tired and need to rest. 'Night."

With that, Inuyasha walked off to Kaede's village, not looking back. Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara just followed him, knowing it was not the right time to start an argument.


	7. Returning To The Present Era

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! I only own the story! But wouldn't it be good if I did own the show? Or the manga? Hmm… Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This kinda took me a long time to write. But besides my meaningless rambling, Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Death, No Reason To Forget Love

****

Chapter Seven: Returning To The Present Era

The next day, after a rough day of fighting demons seeking the jewel, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Shippo were all exhausted. Returning back to Kaede's village, it wasn't long until the sun went down and Inuyasha bid farewell to his friends, saying his return would be soon and that they should stay in Kaede's village for the time being. Shortly after his goodbyes, Inuyasha found himself standing in front of the well. Taking out the red rose he kept in his little sewn-in space on the inside of his shirt, he smiled at it before putting it back away, jumping through the well.

Happy he could still get through the well successfully, Inuyasha used the woven ladder, since he didn't feel like jumping, to get out of the well and he slowly exited the hut that held the Bone Eater's Well and made his way to the house. Apon getting to the doorstep, he knocked on the front door. After no response, he quickly ringed the doorbell, not sure what it was at the time and surprised as he heard a ring through the household.

"Hello, Inuyasha!" Ms. Higurashi exclaimed happily as she opened the door, motioning for him to come in.

"Dog-brother!" Souta called, running up to Inuyasha and almost knocking him over as he ran up and hugged him tightly. "It's been so long since I've last seen you!"

Inuyasha patted Souta on the top of his head, face becoming flustered. "Uh, yeah kid… Good to see you too!"

Ms. Higurashi laughed, resting her back along the doorframe. "Inuyasha, do you mind waiting a while for dinner? You came earlier than I expected, and I'm not done cooking yet."

Free from Souta's grip, it took Inuyasha a minute to register what she said. "Uh, yeah. No problem. What'll I do in the meanwhile?"

"No offence, Inuyasha, but you smell really bad!" Souta said, grinning, plugging his nose with his right index finger and thumb.

"Souta!" his mother scolded him, although she had to agree with her son.

"What, it's true!"

Inuyasha laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Actually, it has been quite a while since I bathed… Gomen nasi Higurashi-San, Souta-Chan."

Ms. Higurashi blinked; she had rarely ever heard Inuyasha give that much respect to anyone! "Well, do you remember how to work the bath upstairs? I believe that Kagome had taught you a while ago?"

"Hai, I remember." Inuyasha said, his voice almost sad, starting to head up the stairs to the upstairs bathroom. Ever since yesterday when he had heard that Kagome had died, he had just gotten depressed at the simplest mention of her name or noticing something that had reminded him of her.

While upstairs, Inuyasha took off his clothing and folded it after he had turned the knobs of the bath, turning on the water. He put the clothing on top of the sink as he got into the water, tensing at first at how hot the water was, but then he let himself slide backward, relaxing. "I've forgotten how nice this feels…" Inuyasha said softly to himself, sighing contently. The water was still very warm, and besides the fact that he almost never cleaned himself, not even after the ugliest of battles, this water made the hanyou feel special and relaxed. He remembered vaguely what to do, since it seemed so long ago that Kagome had explained it to him. Picking up the bar of soap, he started to wash his arm while looking at the shampoo and conditioner bottles.

"Mama, do you think Inuyasha will like his dinner?" Souta asked, tugging on his mother's shirt.

"Of course he will, he loves his Maru-Chan Ramen noodles! Where have you been every time he's over here?" Ms. Higurashi said jokingly, giving her son a warm smile as she removed the boiling pot of water from the stove after putting on a safety glove, then walking over to the table and pouring the hot water into three Styrofoam cups. "Souta, help me set the table, would you?" she asked. Her son nodded, and Ms. Higurashi opened a cabinet near their kitchen window, handing her son silverware to set up while she set up the bowls and cups.

"Do you think Inuyasha misses Kagome?" Souta said as he sat down at the table, resting his chin on the palm of his hand.

His mother nodded as she sat down beside him. "I couldn't see why not. There's no doubt about it, he loved your sister just as much as she loved him." Ms. Higurashi then laughed to herself as she saw her son grinning. "Yes… They would've worked out perfectly…" she sighed.

Inuyasha gasped and cleared his throat, making his appearance known. He had been wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist since he had quickly gotten out of the tub as his ears picked up Kagome's name. Globs of shampoo were all over his hair, while there were soap bubbles running down his chest, arms, and legs. His eye twitched as Souta fell off his seat at the table, laughing.

"Inuyasha!" Ms. Higurashi called out, holding back her own laughter, as she was startled.

"What about Kagome?" he asked, almost growling.

"Oh, nothing, dear! Souta just asked me a question about her and--"

"You responded truthfully? Thank you." Inuyasha said as he turned to walk up the stairs again, leaving Ms. Higurashi and Souta with puzzled expressions. "And I did love her…" he mumbled under his breath, so low that no one could hear it. "Way much more than what you think…"


	8. Night in the Higurashi House

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! I only own the story! But wouldn't it be good if I did own the show? Or the manga? Hmm… Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This kinda took me a long time to write. But besides my meaningless rambling, Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

NOTE: Yes, I know in this chapter Inuyasha calls himself a cat, but a lot of people think he has cat ears so that's where I got it from… Don't ask.

Death, No Reason To Forget Love

****

Chapter Eight: Night At The Higurashi House

Minutes after the last accident, Ms. Higurashi had walked up to the Styrofoam cups on the counter, stirring each one for a couple seconds before pouring the contents in different bowls, letting them have more space to cool off in. It was as she was setting up the last bowl on the table before Inuyasha came down the stairs again. Fully clothed in his regular outfit, the smell of the noodles had led him into the kitchen, as if in a trance.

"Why, hello, Inuyasha!" Ms. Higurashi said as she saw him, laughing as he made a beeline straight to the table and sat down. "Jeez, are you that hungry? It seems like you haven't ate in days!"

"I ate some meat that Sango had cooked for us earlier, but nothing compares to this!" Inuyasha said, quickly digging into his food with the fork. He had never used one that often, but it really wasn't that hard to figure out.

Souta followed the same pattern as his dog brother, digging in the same way. Having a large amount of noodles wrapped around his fork, Souta quickly put the fork into his mouth, eyes welling up with tears as he burned his tongue, almost choking as he swallowed them without chewing, burning the back of his throat. He would've spit out the noodles and ran to the nearest sink for some cold water, but he thought it would've been rude, especially since a guest was over.

Ms. Higurashi, who had been blowing on her fork with few noodles, put her fork into her mouth and swallowed, afterwards noticing what was going on. She handed her son a glass of water, which he gulped down in an instant. "Be careful, dear. Take your time."

Souta nodded, raising his fork again and blowing on the hot noodles.

"Mmm…" Inuyasha hummed, the rim of the bowl to his lips as he slightly tipped it, drinking the chicken broth. Almost slamming his bowl back onto the table, Inuyasha looked around to see three sets of eyes looking at him-- Ms. Higurashi's, Souta's, and Buyo's, who had been laying on the kitchen counter staring at him. "Um… I'm done?"

"Yes, we see that. Until me and Souta are done eating, why don't you just sit here or play with Buyo?" Ms. Higurashi suggested, nodding her head as Inuyasha's mind was made up in not even a second. Seconds later Inuyasha had picked up Buyo and was sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor, pestering the cat. Buyo backed away from Inuyasha at first, not used to his new, clean scent. But soon Buyo purred, walking over to Inuyasha then curling up in his lap, rubbing her head across the back of his hand.

"Hey, Inuyasha," Souta spoke up. "How come you get along so well with Buyo?"

"I don't know, I've never really thought about it. Maybe it's because she thinks I'm a cat?" Inuyasha joked, pointing up to his ears. "Kirara always gets along with me really good, too. Must be because I train with her often."

About five minutes later, Souta and Mother were finished with their noodles. "That was good!" Ms. Higurashi had said cheerfully, piling the bowls into one another, then placing the silverware in the top bowl, walking over to the sink to wash them. Meanwhile, Souta had gone upstairs to work on his homework, leaving Ms. Higurashi and Inuyasha alone in the kitchen. Ms. Higurashi was standing near the sink, doing the dirty dishes while Inuyasha was still sitting on the floor, not able to move since the overweight Buyo had fallen asleep on him.

"Inuyasha… Truthfully, how far have you gotten with my daughter?" Ms. Higurashi asked calmly while rubbing a soapy sponge over one of the last dishes, making sure it got completely dry with a dish towel afterward.

"What?!" Inuyasha asked, surprised as he looked up to Ms. Higurashi wide-eyed. He wasn't sure if he understood her correctly.

"How far did you ever go with her?"

"Well… I think we traveled the world at least once."

If she could've, Ms. Higurashi would've done a face fall right then and there. Sighing, she laughed and turned around, looking down at the boy who would've been her future son-in-law. "No, dear. Not like that. What I mean is… How far… Sexual… Physically… have you gone with her?"

"Oh, well um… Gee…" Inuyasha said nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "I don't know…"

"Inuyasha…" Ms. Higurashi said sternly, crossing her arms across her chest as she tapped her foot.

Inuyasha had saw that look once before, and he knew that meant she needed an answer now. "Pretty far?"

Ms. Higurashi only nodded, really not wanting to pry any deeper into the subject. "What time is it?" he asked, trying his best to change the subject.

Ms. Higurashi looked at the kitchen clock, pointing out to Inuyasha that it was around '9:30' at night. "Souta has already gone to sleep, and since you'll need to get up early tomorrow also why don't you head to bed?"

Inuyasha then carefully picked up Buyo from off his lap and set her on the ground as he stood up. Walking to the front door, Ms. Higurashi stopped him, asking where he was going. "I'm going to my tree."

"No, dear! You don't have to sleep in a tree, sleeping on a cushion or mattress will be much better! Do you mind if you slept in… Kagome's room?"

"Kagome's room?" Inuyasha repeated, his face becoming hot. He had been there a couple times with Kagome, even accidentally fallen asleep there a couple times before, but he had never been left there alone. "A-are you sure?"

"Yes." Ms. Higurashi laughed before going on. "I trusted you since Kagome first introduced you to our family formally, and I trust you to be in her bedroom alone, even though you can be a little… rude and destructive sometimes. And, since she's no longer here, I don't have to worry about getting any puppy-eared grandchildren!"

Those last words hit Inuyasha hard as he sighed, looking down, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "Puppy-eared grandchildren?"

Ms. Higurashi finally finished drying the last dish as she put it away before walking over to Inuyasha, putting a hand on his shoulder, even though he was taller than she was. "I'm sorry. I was always thinking about you're future together. Don't tell me you never thought of it either."

"Yeah, I have thought about it from time to time… But, I'm just gonna have to move on," Inuyasha started, taking a quick glance down at Ms. Higurashi before walking the opposite direction again, out into the hallway where he soon turned left up the stairs. Once upstairs, he walked down the same hallway he had been in earlier. Smiling lightly to himself as he saw Souta's bedroom door creaked open and Souta inside fast asleep under his warm covers, Inuyasha resumed walking down the hall and turned into Kagome's room.

Out of all the things in this world at the time, it was her scent that got him the most. He missed her sweet scent more than anything, and he just wished that she could be sitting in front of him at the moment, just talking or anything else. Inuyasha wished that he could hold Kagome in his arms just one more time… He sat down on her bed, once again smiling like he did last time as memories reawakened in his head. Soon, Inuyasha found himself lying with his back on the bed, legs straight, feet sticking out the end of the bed and hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. Ms. Higurashi walked in soon afterwards.

"Inuyasha, try and get some sleep okay? Just go under the covers, I'll turn out the light."

Inuyasha's train of thoughts stopped abruptly when he heard Ms. Higurashi's voice, but he then sat up, feeling awkward as he stood from the bed and pulled back the pink covers, feeling Ms. Higurashi trying her hardest not to laugh as he sighed while pulling the covers over him, feeling content under the warm covers.

"Comfortable, Inuyasha?" she asked, finally letting it out as she started laughing, seeing a nod from Inuyasha. "See, I told you this would be more comfortable!" Inuyasha agreed with her there, no question about it. Ms. Higurashi then turned off the bedroom light and shut the door so that there was only a creak left between the frame and the lock, much like Souta's door was earlier.

It didn't take much for Inuyasha to fall asleep, for he was relaxed, comfortable and warm under the covers, things he'd never felt all at the same time before.


	9. Before the Ceremony

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! I only own the story! But wouldn't it be good if I did own the show? Or the manga? Hmm… Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This kinda took me a long time to write. But besides my meaningless rambling, Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all my reviews! Hugs everyone I love getting reviews, and I'm happy that people like my work! Just to give some shout outs…

-Fanfiction-

Orangeberrys: About the security cameras… Chuckles I just had to add them in there for some reason… It mixed in with the scene, though. And sometimes they do report deaths on the news, but usually it's about a celebrity… And Kagome's not a celebrity but… yeah… Anyway! No, Nea is not Ms. Higurashi's real name. I'm just very fond of that name and I wanted to place it in.

Inuyasharules56: Please don't cry! Hugs although there were some moments I either cried or felt like it, too…

Twinstaar: Don't worry; I already have this story completed. I'm actually very proud of how I put the funeral, and I think you'll all be pleased on what Inuyasha has to say .

And a big thank you goes to the rest of my reviewers, including:

INUGIRL

Con ojos verdes

InuYahsha-fan

Shinna

Remix-69er

Higurashi Kyoko

YouNeverKnow

-MediaMiner-

Black fire angel: About Kagome's mom… Maybe I did make her a little insensitive… But she's a mother, she needs to be strong! Man, that sounds corny… Where do you think Souta is being cheery? I'm just trying to keep the characters in character the most I can. And really I wouldn't know what it would be like to loose an older/younger brother or sister since I'm an only child…

Death, No Reason To Forget Love

****

Chapter Nine: Before the Ceremony

Inuyasha moaned as he awakened the next morning, rolling over to his side, nuzzling his cheek into the soft sheet that was under him. Really not remembering what had happened the night before, the hanyou slightly opened one of his amber eyes. Along with seeing the color pink almost everywhere, his nose also got active, Inuyasha's ears lowering on his head as he smelled the sweetness of Kagome's scent. That's when he remembered. _'Her scent… It'll never leave this room,'_ he thought, sitting up with a yawn. Standing shortly afterwards, he stretched before walking over to the window beside the night table, the same window he had came in earlier before hearing of Kagome's death. Pushing away the curtains with his clawed fingers, he looked out at the shrine, seeing Ms. Higurashi outside dusting off some spots on the shrine grounds with her broom as Souta sat off to the side, flipping through his rather large deck of trading cards.

Glancing upward at the same moment, Ms. Higurashi smiled as she saw Inuyasha, motioning to him with her hand for him to come outside. It seemed that she was trying to say something, though Inuyasha couldn't hear her through the thick glass.

Getting the hint, Inuyasha brought his hand back down to his side, letting the curtains fall back over the window, the room becoming darker from lack of sun. Turning, Inuyasha walked out of the room and down the hallway again, looking into Souta's room to see a neatly made bed and a large pile of dirty clothes stacked in the corner. Walking further down, he saw the study area where the household computer was still on, Inuyasha having the strongest urge to go check out the strange new technology. However, this urge was stopped short in fear that he would break something. A small camera followed his movements as he walked down the stairs. Passing the kitchen, his stomach growled in hunger, demanding that it wanted food. Ignoring this need for food, Inuyasha walked forwards a bit more, pulling back the sliding glass door and shutting it behind him as he walked outside.

"Inuyasha!" Souta called out, placing his trading cards into a small metal tin so they wouldn't blow away with the wind, running over to the young man who would've been his future brother-in-law.

"Good morning, Inuyasha," Ms. Higurashi said softly, looking up at him with a smile. "Now that you're up, can you watch Souta as I go inside and make some breakfast? I bet you two must be really hungry."

"Sure, no problem." Inuyasha started as he picked up the 11-year-old only, only after ruffling his hair, putting Souta on his shoulders. "It's been a while since I've really seen this kid!"

"Hey… Call me Souta!" he demanded, laughing as he grabbed Inuyasha's ears after ruffling his hair as well, laughing as Inuyasha's face became soft for a second, eyes half-lidded from pleasure. But after he realized he once again had two sets of eyes focused on him, he growled lightly in his throat, putting the boy back down. "Don't… Touch… My… Ears!" he growled, remembering the picture in Kagome's room before he started chasing Souta who had started running away.

Ms. Higurashi laughed, watching the boys for a couple seconds before returning inside, closing the door behind her. She then walked to the kitchen, getting the materials out to make breakfast. "He's something…" Ms. Higurashi sighed, smiling as she looked out the kitchen window to the clear blue sky. After getting some dishes and silverware from the same cabinets as the night before, she went across the room and into another cabinet, pulling out two large pans and put them on the stove, then walking over to the fridge and got out the egg carton, breaking the eggs into a pan.

Meanwhile…

"Can't catch me!" Souta called out, hiding behind the sacred one thousand year old tree.

"I can do better than that," Inuyasha chuckled, soundlessly jumping upward onto one of the lower branches of the tree, then jumping to a higher one. Looking down at Souta, who had been looking around wondering where his dog-brother had went, Inuyasha reached down with his clawed fingers and grabbed Souta by his shirt collar, pulling him up, lucky to not have ripped some holes in the shirt's fabric. "Gotcha."

"Hey!" Souta whined. "That's not fair! I can't jump in trees like you can!"

Inuyasha shrugged, letting the boy loosen from his grip as Souta jumped down from the tree, Inuyasha following after and started another chase.

Soon…

"Boys, breakfast is ready!" Ms. Higurashi called out, opening the front door to the house, laughing, as she was amazed at the scene before her eyes. Souta had been leaning against the wall, looking through his deck of training cards again, of the old storehouse that had been rebuilt after it had caught on fire because of the Noh Mask. While Inuyasha, however, had been lying on the roof of the storehouse, snoring lightly. Although she was quite far away, she laughed again as she could tell that the two boys were exhausted, being all played out before they even had their first meal of the day.

Souta, turning his attention to his mother, jumped up as he realized what she had said. "C'mon, Inuyasha!" he called out, running inside while Inuyasha sat up, smiling to himself as he could smell the warm food inside. Carefully leaping off the top of the old storehouse roof, he landed on his toes before running inside.

From inside, the house smelled like bacon and eggs. Inuyasha and Souta sat beside each other at the kitchen table, Mother sitting across from Souta after she placed the plates of bacon and eggs on the middle of the table.

"Please, Inuyasha," Ms. Higurashi started, placing an egg and one piece of bacon and everyone's plates. "You can have more than this, but just take your time eating this morning, okay?" Inuyasha nodded, picking up the piece of bacon on his plate and putting it in his mouth, smiling as he found the bacon crunchy. Ms. Higurashi let Inuyasha swallow before she went on. "You might not be able to eat until very late tonight, we still have to attend Kagome's funeral which starts this afternoon."

Souta gasped and carefully scooted his chair to the right, away from Inuyasha as he watched Inuyasha beside him, whose eyes went shut as he looked down at the table. Souta could see Inuyasha's hands clenching into tight fists, and he could hear Inuyasha taking a deep breath before slowly standing up. "Excuse me," he said lightly, leaving his place at the table as he then ran out of the kitchen, up the stairs and back into Kagome's room. Even though he had only one piece of bacon, it was able to hold him over as he curled up on her bed, trying what looked like to fall asleep again, only to fail as he heard footsteps approaching.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry," Ms. Higurashi said softly as she walked in, sitting at the foot of the bed as she reached out and stroked Inuyasha's hand. "It's okay, we know you can't accept Kagome's death… I don't really think any of us can. But you know that she loved you dearly, and I know that you loved her also. You will come to her funeral as our special guest, and I'm sure that Kagome would be very proud of it. I'm sure that in time you'll be able to move on."

"No, I won't be able to move on…" Inuyasha's voice broke in softly, refusing to look what would've been his future mother-in-law in the eye. "I can't. Too many people have died that I cared for. First my own mother, then Kikyo, now Kagome…"

"Then don't think about them. I know it'll be hard, but if you do think about the good times you had with that person… and think how they would want you to be happy."

It is still hard to describe what happened next, but for the next hour Inuyasha never left his spot on Kagome's bed as he sat there and thought, except to turn around and hug Ms. Higurashi, while tears came uncontrollably down his face, as he spoke of the good times with the ones he loved, where Ms. Higurashi could only hug him back, smile, and listen while trying to comfort him the best that she could. (A/N: Sorry if I'm sort of getting Inuyasha Out Of Character!)

After Inuyasha had finally stopped crying, he sat up straight, leaning against the wall with a smug expression on his face, acting like nothing had ever happened. Ms. Higurashi could only laugh as she watched him try to imitate a confident man.

"There, feel better?" Ms. Higurashi asked, smiling as Inuyasha nodded. "Like I said earlier, sometimes it's okay to cry… You just can't help it," she said softly, noticing that she herself had been crying too. She gently padded Inuyasha, who had turned his head to look away, on the back before standing up. "C'mon, we need to get you ready for the funeral."

Inuyasha, Ms. Higurashi and Souta were now standing in Ms. Higurashi's bedroom. Since she had moved into Granpa's old room after he had passed away, she still kept some of his old things, such as pictures and priceless knickknacks. Opening the closet door, Ms. Higurashi stood on her toes to reach up and grab a large box. Pulling it down, Souta and Inuyasha could see the word 'CLOTHING' written along the sides of the small cardboard box. Opening it, some dust particles flew out, making both Ms. Higurashi and Inuyasha cough. Ms. Higurashi from being so close and Inuyasha with his sensitive nose. Rustling through the clothes that were in the box, she pulled out his old white outfit, folding it and setting it off to the side before digging into the box again, soon pulling out a small black tux. Inuyasha eyed it suspiciously, like if it was going to attack him or something.

"Granpa's old tux?" Souta said, confused. "Will he [Inuyasha] be able to wear that?"

Ms. Higurashi looked from Inuyasha to the suit, then to her son as she stood up, walking over to Inuyasha. "_If_ he could wear it, it'd be a close fit… Inuyasha, what do you think?"

Inuyasha looked down at the tux again, then looked into the mirror as Ms. Higurashi pressed it up against his body. "Well, it seems a little small…"

"Yeah, mom, it'd just be too tight!"

"Do you want to try it on then?" Ms. Higurashi said nicely, jamming it into Inuyasha's hand as he shrugged his shoulders, really never having a choice. Inuyasha wrapped his clawed fingers around the fabric and walked out of the room and down the hall towards the bathroom. After getting inside, he shut the door and pressed a small button locking the door.

Half an hour later…

Inuyasha was still in the bathroom. Ms. Higurashi was getting a little concerned, while Souta was practically pacing around because he really had to go to the bathroom. Ms. Higurashi shrugged to herself, there were two different bathrooms in their house, including one that had been redone, but yet Souta had been holding it in because he didn't want to run upstairs and miss Inuyasha. "Souta, go check on Inuyasha, would you please?" She asked softly to her son.

Souta nodded and in less than a second he had ran out of the room and started banging on the still-locked bathroom door. "Inuyasha!" he cried. "Are you in there?"

"Yes. I still am." Inuyasha said from behind the other side of the door, his voice sounding unsure and ticked off.

"What's the matter?" Souta asked, curious.

"Nothing!"

Looking down at the lock, Souta smiled as he pulled out a small pencil from his pocket, putting it in the little hole on the other side of the door and forcing it in lightly, making the bathroom door unlock. He took a deep breath as he opened the door, stepping inside and staring at his dog-brother, who had a death glare plastered all over his face. All Souta could do was laugh as he saw Inuyasha. He laughed so hard he almost wet his pants.

"What are you laughing at?" Inuyasha screamed as he saw Souta once again looking over him. Granpa's old suit really didn't fit Inuyasha that well. The shirt and jacket were too tight to his chest so you could see his muscled abs and the pants were just, said in the nicest way possible, painfully too tight. Inuyasha's muscled arms had ripped some small parts in the sleeves, and he was hunched over like a hunchback, afraid to move, preventing the suit to get tore any more. "Ms. Higurashi!" he screamed.

Ms. Higurashi quickly ran into the bathroom, and had to laugh as she saw Inuyasha. "Oh, dear." she said, walking over to him. "Stand up straight, please." she ordered calmly, nodding her head as Inuyasha looked up at her in surprise. "I can always mend the damages." Inuyasha then nodded his head, shutting his eyes as he stood up straight, hearing more rips. He then gasped in surprise as he felt Ms. Higurashi's hands on his chest. "Now, lets get you out of that suit before you permanently ruin it to the point where it's useless, hmm?"

For the next couple hours, Ms. Higurashi had taken Inuyasha out on a shopping errand, to find something for him to wear.


	10. The Funeral Slipped Away

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! I only own the story! But wouldn't it be good if I did own the show? Or the manga? Hmm… Anyway, I hope you enjoy the final chapter! But besides my meaningless rambling, Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Other note number one: This is the last chapter to this story, and I really appreciate all your support to the people who have been reading! Hugs everyone and hands out cups of Ramen noodles Party at my house if this goes well!

Other note number two: I also don't own the song "Slipped Away"! This song is owned and sung by Avril Lavigne. And although I really don't like her as a person, I have much respect for her songs.

Death, No Reason To Forget Love

****

Chapter Ten: The Funeral/ "Slipped Away"

__

'Mmmm…

No, no

Na, na, na, na, na'

It was 4:30 in the afternoon. The funeral started at five. Ms. Higurashi, Souta, and Inuyasha were already at the funeral home, however. Souta was walking around Kagome's closed casket, admiring the flowers that had been sent. Ms. Higurashi was near the back of the room, sitting on one of the cushioned chairs talking to the man who ran the funeral home. Inuyasha, however, stood right in front of the closed casket, his right hand slowly moving along the soft surface of the wood. A picture of Kagome in a high school photo had been placed on top of the casket.

"Kagome…" he whispered slowly, looking down at his outfit. Inuyasha was wearing his regular red kimono. It was useless when they were trying to find him something, for he would always damage it one way or another, not to mention his claws tore a number of things. Simply put, Souta won't have to worry about not getting any nice dress shirts or dress pants when he gets older since they had to buy a lot of ripped pairs… Inuyasha sighed sadly as he saw the dark red blotch on the light fabric-- Kagome's blood.

__

'I miss you

I miss you so bad

I don't forget you

Oh, it's so sad'

More people were starting to come in now and take their seats, trying to get as close to the casket as possible. Yuka, Eri, Ayumi and Hojo were also in the seats near the back of the room. They had heard the news of Kagome's death and had called the Higurashi residence the previous night to find out the horrible truth. Inuyasha ignored hushed whispers and mumbles about his outfit. This is what he was most comfortable in, and he wasn't trying to fool anyone, he could only be himself. He didn't even wear a hat to cover his ears. Souta and Ms. Higurashi were also sitting in the front row in the center seats, saving a seat for Inuyasha beside Souta. He saw the priest walk up to a small wooden podium beside the casket, and Inuyasha knew this was the time for him to sit down. "I love you, Kagome…" he said lightly as he bended down and kissed the casket, afterwards sitting down in the empty seat beside Souta, who said nothing to Inuyasha but only gave a weak smile.

'I hope you can hear me

I remember it clearly'

"We are here to bid our final farewells to a young girl we all knew, Kagome Higurashi. She wasn't that good in keeping up with her studies because of all the illnesses she had to face in her life, but all the less she was still known for her good attitude and joyfulness towards others…" the priest started. Inuyasha frowned as he leaned forward slightly, glancing over at Ms. Higurashi, who was already forming tears and dabbing a tissue to the corners of her eyes.

While the priest continued to talk, it all sounded like babbling to Inuyasha, who was lost in thought. His mind was once again filled with happy thoughts, like the soft tone to Kagome's voice, the happiness in her laughs, the softness of her lips. But then his mind went black for a second, his eyes narrowing as all he could think about was the color red, the color of blood. He then felt his hands clenching as he could hear Kagome cry out in pain, just like the day Naraku had attacked them surprisingly. The same day that so many demons had been called upon the group, their main target being Kagome. She never had time to reach for her bow and arrow, and Inuyasha was too focused on finding Naraku. It wasn't until after their little invasion was over that Inuyasha realized Kagome's condition, where he then quickly rushed her home, filled with guilt. He tried to keep her awake the best he could, only for her to fall into a deep coma where she had died not even a week later.

__

'The day you slipped away

Was the day I found it won't be the same

Oh

No, no

Na, na, na, na, na'

"And we have some speakers that would like to make their voices and opinions known," the priest said, looking out to everyone in the room, surprised that many people were actually standing in the back since all the seats had been taken. "Those people would be Ms. Nami Higurashi, who is Kagome's mother, and Inuyasha," he started, stopping as he heard murmurs through the small room. "…Who was Kagome's boyfriend." he finished, and could only roll his eyes as he heard Yuka exclaiming, along with scattered applause. Ms. Higurashi stood up and used her hands to flatten out the wrinkles on her skirt, before clearing her throat and walked up to the casket, resting her hand on it for a second before turning around to face everyone, tissue in hand. She started to speak, but again Inuyasha was too lost in remembrance to pay any attention.

__

'I didn't get around to kiss you

Goodbye on the hand

I wish that I could see you again

I know that I can't

Oh

I hope you can hear me

Because I remember it clearly

The day you slipped away

Was the day I found it won't be the same

Oh'

After what seemed like an hour, which was actually only about five minutes, loud clapping brought Inuyasha back into reality. Ms. Higurashi had finished speaking, and Souta had been beside her, hugging his sobbing mother tightly for comfort. The priest motioned for Inuyasha to come up as Ms. Higurashi and Souta sat back down in their seats, and he took a deep breath before walking to the casket, turning around to face everyone.

"As you all may know, Kagome was very special to me." Inuyasha started with a strong voice, ignoring the "Aww's" he was receiving. He looked down to the casket, walking over to where Kagome's head was under the cushioned bed covered by wood. "She was my best friend, and I loved her very much. Kagome was always there for me, during the good times and the bad. Whenever I needed somebody to talk to, Kagome was there. Whenever I needed someone to yell at, to protect, to just love as a person, Kagome was there." Inuyasha now felt tears stinging the corners of his own eyes, and he shut them as his hand trailed across the side of the casket, stopping as he grasped the handle.

His next movement made everyone exclaim, as he held the handle tightly in his hand and slowly opened the casket. The photo on the casket fell to the floor, and the glass inside the frame shattered to a thousand pieces. Men were cursing while women screaming, pandemonium breaking loose. Ms. Higurashi stood up and whistled loudly, in which everyone sat back down, silent. (A/N: Okay, that's a little weird but… Sorry!)

Inuyasha bit his lower lip as he saw the lifeless, limp body of Kagome lie in the padded casket in front of him. He could almost feel her pain as he looked at all the bruises and deep gashes and cuts embedded in her skin. Kagome had been wearing a dark blue kimono, with her arms folded across her chest, her white rose tucked into the kimono near the neck. Inuyasha reached inside the casket, and took a hold of Kagome's cold fingers as he reached in, kissing her on the forehead. "Kagome…" he whispered again, this time tears falling down his cheeks, onto the soft skin of her face.

__

'I've had my wakeup

Won't you wake up?

I keep asking why

And I can't take it

It wasn't fake

It happened, you passed by'

Inuyasha then tried to look into Kagome's eyes, only to remember that they would be forever shut. He sighed, and kissed her softly on the lips before pulling away, then running a clawed fingertip slowly over her lips, wishing Kagome a farewell. Taking a step backwards, Inuyasha once again reached in and removed the white rose from her neck, and replaced it with his red rose. He then took the handle again and closed the casket, swearing that he could hear Kagome whisper his name one last time. He turned to look around to everyone's surprised faces, and closed his hand with the white rose and placed it over his chest across his heart. "…And that's all I have to say." he said softly, sitting down, embarrassed.

__

'Now you're gone

Now you're gone

There you go

There you go

Somewhere I can't bring you back

Now you're gone

Now you're gone

There you go

There you go

Somewhere you're not coming back'

About twenty minutes later, the ceremony was over and everyone left the small room and packed into their cars to head to the cemetery. Although it was raining outside heavily, Inuyasha kept by the casket as much as he could. Sure, there was a little makeshift roof put on top of them for the ceremony, but everyone still got wet nonetheless from wind blowing the rain inside. He was the last one to put a rose on her casket, but it was the special white rose he had received previously, from the very same bouquet Kagome was grasping as she passed on. He smiled to himself slightly, the white rose being beautiful while being placed on the top of a large pile of red ones. After refusing to leave, Inuyasha was the last one to see the casket before it sunk slowly into the ground. He was the last one to wish her good luck on the other side; the last one to leave the cemetery, and the last and only person that Kagome's spirit remained with.

__

'The day you slipped away

Was the day I found it won't be the same

Oh

The day you slipped away

Was the day that I found it won't be the same

Oh

No, no.

Na, na, na, na, na

I miss you.'

The end. What'd you guys think of it? I know I really worked hard on this story, and I cried many times writing it! I'd like to know all of your honest opinions!


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